Sunrisers Hyderabad were outclassed by Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2024 final.
Opting to bat first, SRH’s innings folded for a paltry 113 in 18.3 overs. It was a listless batting display as no one managed to touch the 30-run mark. Skipper Pat Cummins was the top scorer with 24 off 19 balls.
Mitchell Starc starred with the ball for KKR, returning with the figures of 2 for 14 in three overs. Andre Russel (3-19), Harshit Rana (2-24) and Vaibhav Arora (1-24) shared three wickets among them.
In reply, KKR overhauled the target with eight wickets and 57 deliveries to spare. While Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 39 off 32 balls at the top, Venkatesh Iyer stayed unbeaten on 52 off 26 balls to seal the deal.
After a disappointing outcome in the title clash, SRH owner Kavya Maran tried to lift up the spirits of Cummins and company.
In her dressing room speech, Kavya thanked the players for their effort and offered words of encouragement for their attractive brand of cricket throughout the season.
“You guys really, you have made us so proud. I had to come here and tell you that. I mean you’ve really re-defined the way we play T20 cricket and everyone is talking about us,” said Maran in a video posted by SRH on social media.
“The off day had to happen today but really, all of… you great job with the bat and the ball. Thank you so much. Even though we finished last place last season, I thank all the fans who came out in huge numbers because of the potential you guys had.”
“Everyone’s talking about us. Even though KKR’s won, everyone’s going to be talking about the style of cricket we played. Thank you guys, take care. Don’t look like this (laughter). We played the finals. It wasn’t just any other game. I mean all the other teams are watching us tonight. So thank you so much. I’ll see you soon,” she added.
Following the loss, SRH captain Pat Cummins said he was proud of his side's brave performances right through the memorable campaign.
“So many (positives), the style that the guys played particularly with the bat. Takes a lot of skill to not only get 250 but also three times. It takes real, you are putting yourself out there a fair bit. I loved how brave the guys were. In high-pressure situations, they took the game on. It was a lot of fun, fans seemed to like it back in Hyderabad,” Cummins said in the post-match interaction.
Cummins also appreciated the opportunity to work with both experienced and young players in the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
“It was fantastic, hadn't worked with many of the guys before at all. It was a real pleasure to work with some of the older, experienced guys like Bhuvi. Bhuvi, Nattu, Jaydev were great and lots of young talent throughout. Really great squad, the support staff were amazing, had a great couple of months. We play a lot over here in India but it's normally a sea of blue. It's good having the crowd on our side for once. Amazing tournament, gets bigger and better each year. It was amazing this season,” he remarked.